Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the only known site on the Internet devoted to all things related to Un. Basically, it's all about all that random stuff floating in my head that I find interesting. Which doesn't amount to much. Unless you're strangely fascinated with what's going on in my so-called life. Not that there's anything of interest going on.
I started running again. I stopped running during the winter since my left knee felt stiff after twenty or thirty minutes while going at a relatively brisk pace (at least for me). And then I stopped completely. Normally, I would have started running again after a few weeks, just to let the knee rest, but it kind of extended for quite a long time. And the results have shown. I gained back some of the weight that I lost. Running, it seems, is quite effective when it comes to my weight. I'm not fully back to what I used to do, but I'm getting back. Slowly, as not to screw up the knee again. Now I'm done with the exercise bit of this post.
KU plays Villanova on Friday night. Most of Lawrence, it seems, will probably be watching the game on CBS, as this is, after all, the home of KU, where basketball is kind of like a religion in some respects. Though with better and more regular attendance. Not to slight religion, but KU basketball is very important here. Heck, even the churches in Lawrence, got involved in 2003 with KU in the Final Four.
It should be an interesting game. The last time these two teams met, Villanova gave the Jayhawks a thorough beatdown. Hopefully, this will end differently with KU beating Villanova. I'm guessing that the Hawks will counter the Nova guards (who have been shooting pretty good). Then it will be up the the KU frontcourt of Jackson, Arthur and Kaun/Aldritch to open up the inside. By Saturday morning, I'm thinking that KU makes it to the Elite Eight. Then again, this is March Madness and anything is possible.
Wearing a suit and tie sucks. I hate messing around with making a tie, though I've done it many times before. It never seems to end up straight. It's always crooked or lumpy or too short. And there's making sure your shirt is clean and not too wrinkly, which involves more work than you think necessary. All the buttons are there. The collar is sticking up. Your jacket has lint clinging to it and that has to get brushed off. Your belt is fine, but it seems a little ratty. Does this tie match this suit? Are the shoes in good condition and not scuffed? Do the suit and shoes match? Does everything look OK? And after you get everything in order, you've probably spent way too much time fussing over these things instead of more important stuff like preparing for your speech or how are you going to answer those tricky questions they're going to ask you. And then, when it's all over, you have to take the suit off. Undoing the tie. Taking the shoes off. Cleaning the shirt (quite likely) again when you're done and making sure there isn't a ring around the collar. And if you're not lucky, you have to wear a suit the next day and the next day. The process never ends.
And that's a sampling of random stuff from my head.
That's all for now.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
March Madness
Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the only known site (that I know of) on the Internet devoted to all things related to Un. Basically, this site is all about me, my so-called life, and the random things floating in my head that I find interesting.
I haven't been posting very frequently for a while. Then again, considering the readership numbers, it doesn't seem like very many people are looking at this site. I haven't entered into some kind of boring life (at least not to me). I have some interesting things to talk about. I just can't muster the energy or at least some time to regularly post. So you get the random posts every so often and not really often. Now that's out of the way, I'm going to talk about something else that's more intersting.
It's that time of the year again. March Madness. College hoops all day, and pretty much every day. For most people, this is not something to be totally obsessed about, but I like in Lawrence, Kansas. Home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. For people here, college basketball is well, a part of life. And when March rolls around, basketball fans expect the Jayhawks to be playing in the NCAA Tournament and making their way to another Final Four (and possibly a National Championship).
This year's tournament seems to be filled with many good games and some crazy upsets. How about Davidson beating Georgetown? And Sienna and San Diego State and Villanova making it past the first round? A few games that went into overtime? The last second buzzer beaters? The really close games that should have been blowouts? Duke getting knocked out is something that brings tears of joy to my eyes.
I didn't fill out a bracket this year. Didn't feel like it. I'm just going to enjoy the games without any expectations of losing or winning a sum of money or some other prize.
Thankfully, the Jayhawks have not been part of any last second games. They've won by confortable margins. Though they exhibit, sometimes, moments of basketball idiocy like making stupid shots from long distance, poor ball handling, and other things that you don't expect from a top team. Or at least as often as it's occuring.
Like with UNLV. They had the chance to blow UNLV out of the water, but they got sloppy on defense and with the ball handling. It wasn't until the second half did the Jayhawks put the game out of reach.
The Jayhawks have an excellent chance of making it to the Final Four. Now that Davidson knocked out Georgetown, and their opponent is Villanova, it should be somewhat easy cruising to winning their bracket. However, I do say this with some caution. It's March Madness and anything can happen.
Easter is an odd holiday. This is not meant to be an anti-religious statement, but some things about Easter seem strange. And I have a wandering mind. And I tend to think too much about totally random stuff.
Who came up with the idea of eating ham on Easter? Pork products aren't kosher and therefore, Jesus didn't eat ham. He never said, "Hey, pass me the honey baked ham" during the Jewish Passover. I can understand lamb, as the traditional Passover meal probably had lamb as lamb was more accessible to the Jews at the time. Though there is something unnerving about eating a leg of lamb when you'e celebrating a holiday all about the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
And the Easter Bunny. Where do the colored eggs come from? Is the Easter Bunny like the Cadbury Bunny who magically creates them out of nowhere? Or is there some other explanation?
And how did one get from Jesus dying for your sins and coming back to life all the way to finding colored eggs hidden by a giant Easter Bunny? I seriously doubt that Jesus told his disciples, "In the future, to celebrate my death and resurrection, I want you to have a giant Easter bunny hiding colored eggs. I also want children to find them. And it's double bonus points if you can put candy in those eggs. If you don't, I'm not coming back for a second time." Highly unlikely. Maybe that's why Jesus hasn't come back yet. He's not digging the colored eggs that much or something.
Maybe there is some religious symbolism to the bunny and the eggs. I'm pretty sure there is some kind of symbolism. But if there is, it got lost in all of the commercialization. After all, nobody respects holiday traditions more than a retail store...especially if it gets them cash.
I've now used up enough of your time. So that's all the random stuff in my head at this moment. It's now time for you to do something more interesting or important.
That's all for now.
I haven't been posting very frequently for a while. Then again, considering the readership numbers, it doesn't seem like very many people are looking at this site. I haven't entered into some kind of boring life (at least not to me). I have some interesting things to talk about. I just can't muster the energy or at least some time to regularly post. So you get the random posts every so often and not really often. Now that's out of the way, I'm going to talk about something else that's more intersting.
It's that time of the year again. March Madness. College hoops all day, and pretty much every day. For most people, this is not something to be totally obsessed about, but I like in Lawrence, Kansas. Home of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. For people here, college basketball is well, a part of life. And when March rolls around, basketball fans expect the Jayhawks to be playing in the NCAA Tournament and making their way to another Final Four (and possibly a National Championship).
This year's tournament seems to be filled with many good games and some crazy upsets. How about Davidson beating Georgetown? And Sienna and San Diego State and Villanova making it past the first round? A few games that went into overtime? The last second buzzer beaters? The really close games that should have been blowouts? Duke getting knocked out is something that brings tears of joy to my eyes.
I didn't fill out a bracket this year. Didn't feel like it. I'm just going to enjoy the games without any expectations of losing or winning a sum of money or some other prize.
Thankfully, the Jayhawks have not been part of any last second games. They've won by confortable margins. Though they exhibit, sometimes, moments of basketball idiocy like making stupid shots from long distance, poor ball handling, and other things that you don't expect from a top team. Or at least as often as it's occuring.
Like with UNLV. They had the chance to blow UNLV out of the water, but they got sloppy on defense and with the ball handling. It wasn't until the second half did the Jayhawks put the game out of reach.
The Jayhawks have an excellent chance of making it to the Final Four. Now that Davidson knocked out Georgetown, and their opponent is Villanova, it should be somewhat easy cruising to winning their bracket. However, I do say this with some caution. It's March Madness and anything can happen.
Easter is an odd holiday. This is not meant to be an anti-religious statement, but some things about Easter seem strange. And I have a wandering mind. And I tend to think too much about totally random stuff.
Who came up with the idea of eating ham on Easter? Pork products aren't kosher and therefore, Jesus didn't eat ham. He never said, "Hey, pass me the honey baked ham" during the Jewish Passover. I can understand lamb, as the traditional Passover meal probably had lamb as lamb was more accessible to the Jews at the time. Though there is something unnerving about eating a leg of lamb when you'e celebrating a holiday all about the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
And the Easter Bunny. Where do the colored eggs come from? Is the Easter Bunny like the Cadbury Bunny who magically creates them out of nowhere? Or is there some other explanation?
And how did one get from Jesus dying for your sins and coming back to life all the way to finding colored eggs hidden by a giant Easter Bunny? I seriously doubt that Jesus told his disciples, "In the future, to celebrate my death and resurrection, I want you to have a giant Easter bunny hiding colored eggs. I also want children to find them. And it's double bonus points if you can put candy in those eggs. If you don't, I'm not coming back for a second time." Highly unlikely. Maybe that's why Jesus hasn't come back yet. He's not digging the colored eggs that much or something.
Maybe there is some religious symbolism to the bunny and the eggs. I'm pretty sure there is some kind of symbolism. But if there is, it got lost in all of the commercialization. After all, nobody respects holiday traditions more than a retail store...especially if it gets them cash.
I've now used up enough of your time. So that's all the random stuff in my head at this moment. It's now time for you to do something more interesting or important.
That's all for now.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Tourism Commercials
Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the only known site on the Internet devoted to all things related to Un. Basically, this blog is all about me and the random thoughts and things floating in my head that I find interesting.
While watching television, I saw some tourism commercials. Mainly one for California and several for the state of Kansas. After seeing the California commercial, I want to go visit California. It seems like a really fun place to visit, if not live in. Sure, there's the big cities filled with pollution, the long commutes to work, and some other serious negatives, but damn, it sounds like a lot of fun.
If you see the commercial, you'll notice that it's very clever. It takes the concept of work and what makes work terrible--overtime, long hours, working on the weekends, etc.--and cleverly twists them around. For example, nobody wants to work on the weekend, right? However, their version of "working on the weekends" involves going to an amusement park. And board meetings involve surfing and skateboarding. Long hours involve being in the outdoors with the family. And to top the deal off, the Governator appears at the end. He's wearing a suit suitable for summer, sitting at a table, eating food, drinking wine, and it's a glorious, sunny day. And the tagline at the end is great. If this sounds like a job for you, then come to California. Now that's a tourism commercial. It's funny, clever, and it shows the best of California. Who wouldn't want to go visit California?
Now compare this to the dreck that is considered a tourism commercial for the state of Kansas. All in all, Kansas isn't such a bad place to live in. It could be worse. Then again, it could be better, but you make the best of what you've got. Kansas is more of a quieter, slower place. It's a little bit country, a little bit metropolitan. Not a lot to work with, but hey, they made South Dakota and Oklahoma sound like interesting places to visit, so why not Kansas? Hell, if the city of Manhattan, Kansas can make their city sound interesting and not some place in the middle of nowhere, then surely the state of Kansas can do the same.
What did the State of Kansas consider a good commercial? A bunch of pictures of wide open prairies, some sunflowers, some windmills, and a lot of empty skies. And a tacky, kind of lame country/folk song that would make Peter, Paul, and Mary proud. Not so great in luring in tourists from California or anywhere outside the Midwest. Then again, I doubt people from the Midwest would want to spend time in Kansas after seeing that commercial. They already have the flat spaces and empty skies that populate Kansas.
I mean, they could have done something more exciting. I don't know. Show some KU basketball. Clips of K-State or KU football (think Orange Bowl). Some exciting clips from the Kansas Speedway. Some images of the cities that portray a little cosmopolitan, a little small town(nice ones, please). I don't know, maybe people walking down the street with shopping bags. A park scene. Then add in a limited amount of the folksy images of sunflowers and prairies and nature. You don't need to pound that image of stereotypical Kansas, especially if you don't want to portray Kansas as that flat state in the middle of nowhere. And change the music to something more...well...modern. The fiddle and guitar routine is a little stale. And the vocal yelps and whoops don't help either. At least in my opinion. More importantly, change the damn slogan. "As big as you think" is corny. And it's ambiguous. It can be interpreted in a positive or negative way. If that's the best they could come up with, then that was a waste of money.
That would be a much more exciting and vastly superior commercial. It give a more balanced picture of Kansas. One that would appeal to people a bit more. If you want shopping, some city life, some small town charm, or the great outdoors, then Kansas is your place. And this idea for a commercial only took me less than a minute to think up. No need for consultants or anybody else.
And the older commercials that talk about historical figures? Stupid as well.
As much as I find Eisenhower to be a great military leader, the commercial was dumb. Yes, you too can be a military leader who liberated Europe and became President, even if you lived in some small town nobody has ever heard of. But you have to come from Kansas to get those qualities. "Kansas, as big as you think." No, that was stupid. The concept was good, but the execution stunk. If you're talking about Eisenhower, you have to show something more than a boy in a cornfield. You need to show Eisenhower leading the troops. You need something visceral. Not some boy in a cornfield and some Eddie Albert sounding dude doing the voiceover. That's just lame. And a waste of money. I'm thinking that a lot of other states can take clamin in making Presidents. Not just Kansas.
What would have been better? Talk about Eisenhower and how he saved Europe from the Nazis and then became President. Then say something like "He came from Kansas. See what made him a hero." Forget the "As big as you think." It just detracts from the commercial.
And the Amelia Earhart commercial? Again, good concept, bad execution. What screwed up the commercial was the question at the end. I guess it was supposed to be rhetorical and the answer was supposed to be along the lines of "Earhart was a great pilot and pioneer; Kansas builds that kind of character." When I saw the commercial, I started to laugh. Um, didn't they read up the history books? Amelia Earhart, though a pioneer in female aviation, went missing over the Pacific Ocean. She left behind important communication and navigation instruments for some odd and amazingly idiotic reasons. If you're going to fly over a relatively empty ocean like the Pacific, you need communication and navigation instruments, so you don't get lost and crash and die. That says a lot about a person from Kansas. You could interpret that question and come up with a decidedly negative answer: "Yeah, Kansans are stupid idiots who leave behind important stuff to survive. Don't trust them with anything important, like your life." That's a great impression. "Kansas, as big as you think."
I don't care if the commercials wins awards. If nobody's visiting and you're winning awards, then what's the damn use for the awards? It's the tourism revenues that really matter.
Oh well. Kansas still has a reason to keep the roads maintained every year. And it's not for the tourism that's staying in Kansas. It's so that the vacationers driving through Kansas won't have any flat tires while they go somewhere else in the United States. Like California or Florida.
That's all for now.
While watching television, I saw some tourism commercials. Mainly one for California and several for the state of Kansas. After seeing the California commercial, I want to go visit California. It seems like a really fun place to visit, if not live in. Sure, there's the big cities filled with pollution, the long commutes to work, and some other serious negatives, but damn, it sounds like a lot of fun.
If you see the commercial, you'll notice that it's very clever. It takes the concept of work and what makes work terrible--overtime, long hours, working on the weekends, etc.--and cleverly twists them around. For example, nobody wants to work on the weekend, right? However, their version of "working on the weekends" involves going to an amusement park. And board meetings involve surfing and skateboarding. Long hours involve being in the outdoors with the family. And to top the deal off, the Governator appears at the end. He's wearing a suit suitable for summer, sitting at a table, eating food, drinking wine, and it's a glorious, sunny day. And the tagline at the end is great. If this sounds like a job for you, then come to California. Now that's a tourism commercial. It's funny, clever, and it shows the best of California. Who wouldn't want to go visit California?
Now compare this to the dreck that is considered a tourism commercial for the state of Kansas. All in all, Kansas isn't such a bad place to live in. It could be worse. Then again, it could be better, but you make the best of what you've got. Kansas is more of a quieter, slower place. It's a little bit country, a little bit metropolitan. Not a lot to work with, but hey, they made South Dakota and Oklahoma sound like interesting places to visit, so why not Kansas? Hell, if the city of Manhattan, Kansas can make their city sound interesting and not some place in the middle of nowhere, then surely the state of Kansas can do the same.
What did the State of Kansas consider a good commercial? A bunch of pictures of wide open prairies, some sunflowers, some windmills, and a lot of empty skies. And a tacky, kind of lame country/folk song that would make Peter, Paul, and Mary proud. Not so great in luring in tourists from California or anywhere outside the Midwest. Then again, I doubt people from the Midwest would want to spend time in Kansas after seeing that commercial. They already have the flat spaces and empty skies that populate Kansas.
I mean, they could have done something more exciting. I don't know. Show some KU basketball. Clips of K-State or KU football (think Orange Bowl). Some exciting clips from the Kansas Speedway. Some images of the cities that portray a little cosmopolitan, a little small town(nice ones, please). I don't know, maybe people walking down the street with shopping bags. A park scene. Then add in a limited amount of the folksy images of sunflowers and prairies and nature. You don't need to pound that image of stereotypical Kansas, especially if you don't want to portray Kansas as that flat state in the middle of nowhere. And change the music to something more...well...modern. The fiddle and guitar routine is a little stale. And the vocal yelps and whoops don't help either. At least in my opinion. More importantly, change the damn slogan. "As big as you think" is corny. And it's ambiguous. It can be interpreted in a positive or negative way. If that's the best they could come up with, then that was a waste of money.
That would be a much more exciting and vastly superior commercial. It give a more balanced picture of Kansas. One that would appeal to people a bit more. If you want shopping, some city life, some small town charm, or the great outdoors, then Kansas is your place. And this idea for a commercial only took me less than a minute to think up. No need for consultants or anybody else.
And the older commercials that talk about historical figures? Stupid as well.
As much as I find Eisenhower to be a great military leader, the commercial was dumb. Yes, you too can be a military leader who liberated Europe and became President, even if you lived in some small town nobody has ever heard of. But you have to come from Kansas to get those qualities. "Kansas, as big as you think." No, that was stupid. The concept was good, but the execution stunk. If you're talking about Eisenhower, you have to show something more than a boy in a cornfield. You need to show Eisenhower leading the troops. You need something visceral. Not some boy in a cornfield and some Eddie Albert sounding dude doing the voiceover. That's just lame. And a waste of money. I'm thinking that a lot of other states can take clamin in making Presidents. Not just Kansas.
What would have been better? Talk about Eisenhower and how he saved Europe from the Nazis and then became President. Then say something like "He came from Kansas. See what made him a hero." Forget the "As big as you think." It just detracts from the commercial.
And the Amelia Earhart commercial? Again, good concept, bad execution. What screwed up the commercial was the question at the end. I guess it was supposed to be rhetorical and the answer was supposed to be along the lines of "Earhart was a great pilot and pioneer; Kansas builds that kind of character." When I saw the commercial, I started to laugh. Um, didn't they read up the history books? Amelia Earhart, though a pioneer in female aviation, went missing over the Pacific Ocean. She left behind important communication and navigation instruments for some odd and amazingly idiotic reasons. If you're going to fly over a relatively empty ocean like the Pacific, you need communication and navigation instruments, so you don't get lost and crash and die. That says a lot about a person from Kansas. You could interpret that question and come up with a decidedly negative answer: "Yeah, Kansans are stupid idiots who leave behind important stuff to survive. Don't trust them with anything important, like your life." That's a great impression. "Kansas, as big as you think."
I don't care if the commercials wins awards. If nobody's visiting and you're winning awards, then what's the damn use for the awards? It's the tourism revenues that really matter.
Oh well. Kansas still has a reason to keep the roads maintained every year. And it's not for the tourism that's staying in Kansas. It's so that the vacationers driving through Kansas won't have any flat tires while they go somewhere else in the United States. Like California or Florida.
That's all for now.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Random Thoughts
Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the only known site on the Internet that I know of devoted to all things related to Un. If you haven't gotten it by now, this site is all about me and the random thoughts and things that I find interesting. So if you don't want to find out what I find fascinating, then try another site.
First up, I saw the KU-Oklahoma State basketball game on TV yesterday. Which makes me wonder, to use the title of a book, what's the matter with Kansas?
For some reason, when KU is on the road, the men's basketball team just collapses. They play the crappiest basketball. They forget how to make simple layups. A ball screen turns from a simple task to something akin to figuring out the meaning of life and explaining it in 50 words or less. Dribbling without traveling or double dribbling or palming or getting it stolen becomes near impossible. Turnovers are more common than assists. It's like they can't remember who is on their team. They forget how to play basketball.
It's painful, like watching a white guy from Johnson Country Kansas trying to bust a move on the dance floor when he's surrounded by a breakdancing crew.
I guess I'm used to seeing KU whip opponents like a dominatrix clad in leather. On a good day, KU basketball is a sight to see. They alley-oop. They launch from downtown and you hear the swish. They steal and pick pockets. It's poetry in motion or something similar to it. A basketball ballet.
They're a talented team. They have great big guys like Kaun and Jackson and Arthur. They have a nice combination of guards like Rush, Robinson, and Chalmers. Toss in Collins when he is healthy and you have at least four guards. Everyone on the team can run up and down the court. They have hustle and ball handling skills. The defense is good. They're a balanced team. Most of the players have played in the NCAA tournament. They have some experience playing in important games. You would expect them to win most, if not all of their games. Well, you would expect them to play consistently. But they don't.
For some odd reason, the team expects to win when they play badly, when they play like shit, when they play stupid. Which, oddly enough, rarely happens as they lose. KU was supposed to beat the Cowboys, though not by much, but they pulled defeat out of the supposed jaws of victory.
A funny story.
So I'm driving down Mass Street. This is after the ice/snow storm and the roads haven't been cleared yet. So I'm driving a little slower since I don't want to skid and end up wrapped around a phone pole or something similarly expensive and painful.
There's this jackass behind me. He wants me to drive faster. Which is kind of crazy since the roads, as I mentioned before, are still icy. And I know that the Lawrence Police Department has several police cars monitoring the traffic. And they're kind of anal about speeders. On Mass Street, there's at least two speed traps where the police are in hiding with their radar guns. He starts flashing his headlights and honking his horn thinking I'm going to go faster.
Since I don't move any faster, he decides to gun it and change lanes. So he puts the pedal to the metal and gets the accelerator going.
Did I mention that the Lawrence Police Department sets up speed traps? And there's one just a block ahead? And he's the only guy in the right lane at that moment? And he's doing about forty or fifty?
Let's just say that Mr. Police Officer didn't have to work very hard to get a speeder. Didn't have to drive more than a hundred feet to pull Mr. Impatient over.
I had a good laugh.
That was until I saw the KU basketball game (see above).
That's all for now.
First up, I saw the KU-Oklahoma State basketball game on TV yesterday. Which makes me wonder, to use the title of a book, what's the matter with Kansas?
For some reason, when KU is on the road, the men's basketball team just collapses. They play the crappiest basketball. They forget how to make simple layups. A ball screen turns from a simple task to something akin to figuring out the meaning of life and explaining it in 50 words or less. Dribbling without traveling or double dribbling or palming or getting it stolen becomes near impossible. Turnovers are more common than assists. It's like they can't remember who is on their team. They forget how to play basketball.
It's painful, like watching a white guy from Johnson Country Kansas trying to bust a move on the dance floor when he's surrounded by a breakdancing crew.
I guess I'm used to seeing KU whip opponents like a dominatrix clad in leather. On a good day, KU basketball is a sight to see. They alley-oop. They launch from downtown and you hear the swish. They steal and pick pockets. It's poetry in motion or something similar to it. A basketball ballet.
They're a talented team. They have great big guys like Kaun and Jackson and Arthur. They have a nice combination of guards like Rush, Robinson, and Chalmers. Toss in Collins when he is healthy and you have at least four guards. Everyone on the team can run up and down the court. They have hustle and ball handling skills. The defense is good. They're a balanced team. Most of the players have played in the NCAA tournament. They have some experience playing in important games. You would expect them to win most, if not all of their games. Well, you would expect them to play consistently. But they don't.
For some odd reason, the team expects to win when they play badly, when they play like shit, when they play stupid. Which, oddly enough, rarely happens as they lose. KU was supposed to beat the Cowboys, though not by much, but they pulled defeat out of the supposed jaws of victory.
A funny story.
So I'm driving down Mass Street. This is after the ice/snow storm and the roads haven't been cleared yet. So I'm driving a little slower since I don't want to skid and end up wrapped around a phone pole or something similarly expensive and painful.
There's this jackass behind me. He wants me to drive faster. Which is kind of crazy since the roads, as I mentioned before, are still icy. And I know that the Lawrence Police Department has several police cars monitoring the traffic. And they're kind of anal about speeders. On Mass Street, there's at least two speed traps where the police are in hiding with their radar guns. He starts flashing his headlights and honking his horn thinking I'm going to go faster.
Since I don't move any faster, he decides to gun it and change lanes. So he puts the pedal to the metal and gets the accelerator going.
Did I mention that the Lawrence Police Department sets up speed traps? And there's one just a block ahead? And he's the only guy in the right lane at that moment? And he's doing about forty or fifty?
Let's just say that Mr. Police Officer didn't have to work very hard to get a speeder. Didn't have to drive more than a hundred feet to pull Mr. Impatient over.
I had a good laugh.
That was until I saw the KU basketball game (see above).
That's all for now.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Salt or Sand
Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the only known site (that I know of) on the Internet devoted to all things related to Un. Basically, this site is all about the random things floating in my head that I find interesting.
In the past several weeks, it's been freezing cold in Rock Chalk Jayhawk land. And I'm not talking about the KU men's basketball team in the second half. Hell did freeze over when K-State finally won in Manhattan. Apparently, the weather in Hell spilled over into Lawrence for some reason. All of that snow and ice and sleet is not making for a nice day.
And I'm not a fan of driving in the winter weather. I don't like scraping ice off the windshield and sitting inside a cold car, waiting for the heater to get going. Nope, I hate driving in the winter. I don't like losing traction. I like clean roads, free of ice and snow and slush. That's just me.
Which brings me closer to the point of this post.
Lately, on the news, there have been stories about how communities are running out of salt. Especially in places where winter weather can cause havoc. Places like the Northeast, the Mountain West, the Midwest.
Which makes me wonder. How can you run out of salt?
Of course, most communities preordered their salt and there's a shortage. But really, if you know that winter brings snow to your area, shouldn't you buy lots of salt earlier. You know, stock up on the salt. Like when it was cheaper or when the winter was warmer? Don't they plan ahead?
Yes, salt causes problems. It eats up the concrete and asphalt faster. It causes damage to metal surfaces and makes rust a problem. It hurts when you get hit by the salt spewing out of the salt spreader and it chaps skin like nothing else. But it gets the damn ice and snow off the road.
So use more sand...which the city of Lawrence has done with a vengeance. I've never seen so much sand spread out on the roadways of Lawrence before.
It's everywhere. Spreading like a horrible plague. Sidewalks are turning tan and beige. Streets are gritty, covered in sand. The snow is brown. Everything is brown. I think I've collected enough sand on the front yard to fill a sandbox. It's gotten into my shoes and socks and jeans. I have a fine layer of sand on the garage floor and quite possibly, into the carpets. I'd hate to think what all that sand would do on wood floors. Even worse, the sand makes driving worse. At least the salt "disappears" when the snow is melted. The sand, it's still there, covering everything in grit.
Is there anything good about the sand? Not really. I'm hard pressed to find something even remotely good about the sand.
Now that I've thought about it for a few minutes, I must admit that the sand does make for an excellent filler for all the potholes. Maybe the City of Lawrence can collect all the sand on the streets and dump them into the potholes. They'll be putting the sand to good use.
That's all for now.
In the past several weeks, it's been freezing cold in Rock Chalk Jayhawk land. And I'm not talking about the KU men's basketball team in the second half. Hell did freeze over when K-State finally won in Manhattan. Apparently, the weather in Hell spilled over into Lawrence for some reason. All of that snow and ice and sleet is not making for a nice day.
And I'm not a fan of driving in the winter weather. I don't like scraping ice off the windshield and sitting inside a cold car, waiting for the heater to get going. Nope, I hate driving in the winter. I don't like losing traction. I like clean roads, free of ice and snow and slush. That's just me.
Which brings me closer to the point of this post.
Lately, on the news, there have been stories about how communities are running out of salt. Especially in places where winter weather can cause havoc. Places like the Northeast, the Mountain West, the Midwest.
Which makes me wonder. How can you run out of salt?
Of course, most communities preordered their salt and there's a shortage. But really, if you know that winter brings snow to your area, shouldn't you buy lots of salt earlier. You know, stock up on the salt. Like when it was cheaper or when the winter was warmer? Don't they plan ahead?
Yes, salt causes problems. It eats up the concrete and asphalt faster. It causes damage to metal surfaces and makes rust a problem. It hurts when you get hit by the salt spewing out of the salt spreader and it chaps skin like nothing else. But it gets the damn ice and snow off the road.
So use more sand...which the city of Lawrence has done with a vengeance. I've never seen so much sand spread out on the roadways of Lawrence before.
It's everywhere. Spreading like a horrible plague. Sidewalks are turning tan and beige. Streets are gritty, covered in sand. The snow is brown. Everything is brown. I think I've collected enough sand on the front yard to fill a sandbox. It's gotten into my shoes and socks and jeans. I have a fine layer of sand on the garage floor and quite possibly, into the carpets. I'd hate to think what all that sand would do on wood floors. Even worse, the sand makes driving worse. At least the salt "disappears" when the snow is melted. The sand, it's still there, covering everything in grit.
Is there anything good about the sand? Not really. I'm hard pressed to find something even remotely good about the sand.
Now that I've thought about it for a few minutes, I must admit that the sand does make for an excellent filler for all the potholes. Maybe the City of Lawrence can collect all the sand on the streets and dump them into the potholes. They'll be putting the sand to good use.
That's all for now.
Monday, February 11, 2008
What's In My Food? The Valentine's Day Edition
Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, the only known site (that I know of) on the Internet devoted to all things related to Un. Basically, this site is all about the things that I find interesting or floating in my head at the moment. It's all about me. If this is not your cup of tea or you came to this site because you were expecting something different, then try another site. The Internet is an amazing thing. I digress...
Several disclaimers. I am not bashing Valentine's Day. I am not that paranoid about food, though I can get nervous about food safety. Eat, knowing that the United States has food safety laws and you can be sure what is in the box or bag is what is on the label for the most part, like 99.9999%. But then again, sometimes, things fall through the cracks.
Considering I have bought rice and discovered moths and God knows what else in the bag, it might be a good thing. It's my way of telling you about food safety and what might be inside your food. It's a good thing to know what is considered "sanitary" by the United States government. In addition, it might make you think twice about what you are eating. Especially if you diet contains a large amount of processed food. If you are weak of stomach...then this post is not for you. Same if you want to eat something later. Do not read this post with a full stomach...unless there is a convenietly placed bathroom nearby.
Your night of passion may begin with a seafood appetizer. Some raw oysters, some shrimp, some clams. As you may know, seafood is reminiscent of sexual organs. And Venus herself, according to myth, came from a scallop shell. Hence the connection. However, the raw oysters...they're not all that safe. You might get ill and the symptoms are not nice. And the fish might contain mercury (a real downer since mercury causes mental illness) or worms or poisoning. Tabasco sauce will not kill the bacteria. And the peppers used in the sauce could have been moldy, insect infested, or covered in rodent excreta. But not that much...only 3% insect infested. And less than a milligram of rodent excreta per pound. Let's just say that raw or undercooked seafood should be off the menu, no matter where you get it. Expensive restaurants included.
Anyways, let's get to the main course. What do you want? Fish? Probably not. How about some beef? Like the fish, it might have beef tapeworms, which is not so great to have. Sure, you lose weight, but you die of starvation. And it is disgusting. You do have to deal with prions that can cause CJD--the human version of Mad Cow Disease. Nothing like having your brain getting destroyed cell by cell. I almost forgot E-coli, the well-known bacteria that caused death at the Jack in the Box hamburger outlets. And all because you wanted a rare steak. Pork will get you worms as well if you are not careful. Lamb, did I mention suffer from a disease similar to Mad Cow? Chicken, well, salmonella and campylobacter.
OK, let's assume you are a vegetarian. Well, you're no safer than the meat-eating carnivore humans. You all have the same dangers as the rest of the world. Even more so.
E-coli will still get you. Remember the tainted spinach? One of my professors from law school told us a story about salad mixes that made my stomach turn. Apparently, one of his friends went to Mexico, to a farm (supposedly organic), to see if they were following certain sanitary measures. Let's just say that the farm wasn't. They were using the same water that the cows were bathed in to wash and water the lettuce. On top of that, a baby in a diaper full of feces and urine, was sitting on top of the supposedly "clean and organic" lettuce. To make a long story short, he swore never to eat salad again.
And there are other nasty diseases that can strike. All due to unsanitary conditions. Hepatitis. Salmonella. Cross-contamination of bateria that generally affect meat and poultry. Poisonous mushrooms (so be wary of wild mushrooms that didn't come from the supermarket) and aflatoxins (caused by mold). And even the red kidney bean can bring about troubles. Even the canned and frozen foods are not so...edible. Insect parts, dead maggots and larva, aphids, rotten pieces, and other unsavory delights can be found in canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. But in approved amounts.
And I cannot leave without talking about chocolate. This also goes for most processed and prepackaged food as well. If you ever need inspiration to keep away from junk food, this might be helpful. This is from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition manual called The Food Defect Action Levels.
WHEAT FLOUR cannot contain 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams. In addition, it cannot contain an average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams.
CHOCOLATE cannot contain an average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments. In addition, it cannot contain an average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined ORAny 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs. And where does this come from? Insect fragments - post harvest and/or processing insect infestation. Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta. Yup, unsanitary harvest conditions and unsanitary processing condtions. Never mind that these products are nutritionally unsound due to the chemicals, the excess amount of fat, the salt and sugar, the lack of vitamins. But you also get rodent hair, feces, AND insect parts as well. And to think people eat this every day!
In closing, let me reiterate several things. I'm not against Valentine's Day. I'm not exhorting people to be paranoid about what they eat. Instead, I'm telling people to be more aware of what they eat and what might be inside that can or box. If you realize what might be in there--insect parts, larva, maggots, rodent hair and feces, etc.--you might reconsider buying that. Or you might reconsider how you prepare and clean it. Or you might reconsider where you eat. Even the best places can be unsanitary.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
That's all for now.
Several disclaimers. I am not bashing Valentine's Day. I am not that paranoid about food, though I can get nervous about food safety. Eat, knowing that the United States has food safety laws and you can be sure what is in the box or bag is what is on the label for the most part, like 99.9999%. But then again, sometimes, things fall through the cracks.
Considering I have bought rice and discovered moths and God knows what else in the bag, it might be a good thing. It's my way of telling you about food safety and what might be inside your food. It's a good thing to know what is considered "sanitary" by the United States government. In addition, it might make you think twice about what you are eating. Especially if you diet contains a large amount of processed food. If you are weak of stomach...then this post is not for you. Same if you want to eat something later. Do not read this post with a full stomach...unless there is a convenietly placed bathroom nearby.
Your night of passion may begin with a seafood appetizer. Some raw oysters, some shrimp, some clams. As you may know, seafood is reminiscent of sexual organs. And Venus herself, according to myth, came from a scallop shell. Hence the connection. However, the raw oysters...they're not all that safe. You might get ill and the symptoms are not nice. And the fish might contain mercury (a real downer since mercury causes mental illness) or worms or poisoning. Tabasco sauce will not kill the bacteria. And the peppers used in the sauce could have been moldy, insect infested, or covered in rodent excreta. But not that much...only 3% insect infested. And less than a milligram of rodent excreta per pound. Let's just say that raw or undercooked seafood should be off the menu, no matter where you get it. Expensive restaurants included.
Anyways, let's get to the main course. What do you want? Fish? Probably not. How about some beef? Like the fish, it might have beef tapeworms, which is not so great to have. Sure, you lose weight, but you die of starvation. And it is disgusting. You do have to deal with prions that can cause CJD--the human version of Mad Cow Disease. Nothing like having your brain getting destroyed cell by cell. I almost forgot E-coli, the well-known bacteria that caused death at the Jack in the Box hamburger outlets. And all because you wanted a rare steak. Pork will get you worms as well if you are not careful. Lamb, did I mention suffer from a disease similar to Mad Cow? Chicken, well, salmonella and campylobacter.
OK, let's assume you are a vegetarian. Well, you're no safer than the meat-eating carnivore humans. You all have the same dangers as the rest of the world. Even more so.
E-coli will still get you. Remember the tainted spinach? One of my professors from law school told us a story about salad mixes that made my stomach turn. Apparently, one of his friends went to Mexico, to a farm (supposedly organic), to see if they were following certain sanitary measures. Let's just say that the farm wasn't. They were using the same water that the cows were bathed in to wash and water the lettuce. On top of that, a baby in a diaper full of feces and urine, was sitting on top of the supposedly "clean and organic" lettuce. To make a long story short, he swore never to eat salad again.
And there are other nasty diseases that can strike. All due to unsanitary conditions. Hepatitis. Salmonella. Cross-contamination of bateria that generally affect meat and poultry. Poisonous mushrooms (so be wary of wild mushrooms that didn't come from the supermarket) and aflatoxins (caused by mold). And even the red kidney bean can bring about troubles. Even the canned and frozen foods are not so...edible. Insect parts, dead maggots and larva, aphids, rotten pieces, and other unsavory delights can be found in canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. But in approved amounts.
And I cannot leave without talking about chocolate. This also goes for most processed and prepackaged food as well. If you ever need inspiration to keep away from junk food, this might be helpful. This is from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition manual called The Food Defect Action Levels.
WHEAT FLOUR cannot contain 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams. In addition, it cannot contain an average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams.
CHOCOLATE cannot contain an average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments. In addition, it cannot contain an average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined ORAny 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs. And where does this come from? Insect fragments - post harvest and/or processing insect infestation. Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta. Yup, unsanitary harvest conditions and unsanitary processing condtions. Never mind that these products are nutritionally unsound due to the chemicals, the excess amount of fat, the salt and sugar, the lack of vitamins. But you also get rodent hair, feces, AND insect parts as well. And to think people eat this every day!
In closing, let me reiterate several things. I'm not against Valentine's Day. I'm not exhorting people to be paranoid about what they eat. Instead, I'm telling people to be more aware of what they eat and what might be inside that can or box. If you realize what might be in there--insect parts, larva, maggots, rodent hair and feces, etc.--you might reconsider buying that. Or you might reconsider how you prepare and clean it. Or you might reconsider where you eat. Even the best places can be unsanitary.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
That's all for now.
Monday, February 04, 2008
The Super Bowl
Greetings and welcome to The Un-Zone, the only known site on the Internet devoted to all things realted to Un. This site is all about me and the random things that I find interesting. If you don't find this to be your cup of tea, try another site. Unless of course, it's China and you might be somewhat limited in your choices and your content. Anyways, it's time for an update to this site.
I saw the Super Bowl yesterday. The first three quarters, it was meh. No real scoring. Lots of failed opportunities. The Patriot offensive line was offensively bad, allowing Brady to get sacked more than a Sprint layoff. He ate a whole lot of turf. And they could not convert when the had the opportunity because the Giants defense was getting physical with him. Kind of like a pitbull that won't let go. Or Bill Clinton at a beauty pageant. Or a heat seeking missile locked on a target.
The Giants had more offensive rhythm, but they fell way short. The stupid penalties like the pass interference and the dumb 12 men on the field one. Kind of like a guy who's wanting to score with a supermodel, but goes limp at the last second. At least their defense played like champions.
The halftime show was OK. As much as I like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the halftime show was lacking. Like Tom Petty actually singing. If he was singing, I must give him props for sounding like the MTV music video. If he was lip-synching, which I suspect he was doing, he did an excellent job in moving his lips to the music. The guitar playing was severely lacking. You could tell he wasn't playing at all.
The fourth quarter. That was the craziest fourth quarter ever. OK, so it wasn't the freaky offensive battle that everyone was expecting, but it was much better than the first three. It made a fine effort in redeeming the ugliness that was the first three quarters.
Eli Manning making a brilliant TD pass that almost was intercepted. Tom Brady leading the charge to the end zone with less than three minutes left. It looked like another New England victory. Then Eli Manning, the QB that everyone thought would wilt under pressure made plays. And got lucky. The long reception. The escape from a certain sack by three Patriots defensive players, the spin move, and the throw. The impossible catch made by a rookie. If you saw the game, you would know what I'm talking about. The final TD pass with less than a minute left due to blown coverage. New England had the chance to win, to seal the deal, but they just could not do it.
Was it me or did the commercials this year seem mediocre overall? The game was great in the last quarter, but surely, one would think that the commercials would fare better. "I...I...I...am...the....NFL...NFL....I AM the NFL." Those commercials stink. Stop with this crap. It is beyond old. Although, it was funny to see some of the football players try to pronounce "resiliency," let alone any words that had more than two or three syllables in them. The Doritos commercial with the girl singing an awful folk song, I wanted to beat the TV. She sucked at singing. It was dreadful. Positively dreadful. Tone deaf at best, tone deaf at worst. She would have made for a great "Best of the Worst" American Idol spot. The Planters commercial with the unibrow girl...I could have done without. It's stomach churning to see a food product rubbed against a thoroughly repulsive looking person's body. Thank God the woman wasn't any more hideous looking than she already was. I was freaked out by the Amp drink ad. I don't want to see a fat guy with alligator clips on his nipples. That does not make me think, "I'm thirsty. Let's get an Amp drink for energy." The SalesGenie commercials...man...those hit a new low for cheap racial stereotypes. Career Builder sucked. I don't want to see a woman's heart pop out their chest or anything similar to that. After these commercials, one must wonder if anyone can make mental bleach to remove the repulsiveness from one's eyes.
The good commercials were OK at best. Fed Ex had the giant pigeon ad which was funny. Bud Light does some good commercials, though they were kind of lacking this year. I liked the caveman one, but only barely. The fire breathing and flying commercials, not so much. And the "Rocky" horse one, they're done so many times before, it's kind of cliche. I've always watned to see Justin Timberlake take a few shots to the groin, but that got tiring and confusing after a while. Pepsi needs to get better advertising people. Their commercials made little sense until the end. Coke was much better. Bridgestone tires allowed a driver to avoid a screaming, panic-stricken squirrel--and later a screaming, panic-stricken Richard Simmons That was funny. Though I kind of wish Richard Simmons got hit. If JT can take it to the nads, RS can get hit by a car.
That's all for now.
I saw the Super Bowl yesterday. The first three quarters, it was meh. No real scoring. Lots of failed opportunities. The Patriot offensive line was offensively bad, allowing Brady to get sacked more than a Sprint layoff. He ate a whole lot of turf. And they could not convert when the had the opportunity because the Giants defense was getting physical with him. Kind of like a pitbull that won't let go. Or Bill Clinton at a beauty pageant. Or a heat seeking missile locked on a target.
The Giants had more offensive rhythm, but they fell way short. The stupid penalties like the pass interference and the dumb 12 men on the field one. Kind of like a guy who's wanting to score with a supermodel, but goes limp at the last second. At least their defense played like champions.
The halftime show was OK. As much as I like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the halftime show was lacking. Like Tom Petty actually singing. If he was singing, I must give him props for sounding like the MTV music video. If he was lip-synching, which I suspect he was doing, he did an excellent job in moving his lips to the music. The guitar playing was severely lacking. You could tell he wasn't playing at all.
The fourth quarter. That was the craziest fourth quarter ever. OK, so it wasn't the freaky offensive battle that everyone was expecting, but it was much better than the first three. It made a fine effort in redeeming the ugliness that was the first three quarters.
Eli Manning making a brilliant TD pass that almost was intercepted. Tom Brady leading the charge to the end zone with less than three minutes left. It looked like another New England victory. Then Eli Manning, the QB that everyone thought would wilt under pressure made plays. And got lucky. The long reception. The escape from a certain sack by three Patriots defensive players, the spin move, and the throw. The impossible catch made by a rookie. If you saw the game, you would know what I'm talking about. The final TD pass with less than a minute left due to blown coverage. New England had the chance to win, to seal the deal, but they just could not do it.
Was it me or did the commercials this year seem mediocre overall? The game was great in the last quarter, but surely, one would think that the commercials would fare better. "I...I...I...am...the....NFL...NFL....I AM the NFL." Those commercials stink. Stop with this crap. It is beyond old. Although, it was funny to see some of the football players try to pronounce "resiliency," let alone any words that had more than two or three syllables in them. The Doritos commercial with the girl singing an awful folk song, I wanted to beat the TV. She sucked at singing. It was dreadful. Positively dreadful. Tone deaf at best, tone deaf at worst. She would have made for a great "Best of the Worst" American Idol spot. The Planters commercial with the unibrow girl...I could have done without. It's stomach churning to see a food product rubbed against a thoroughly repulsive looking person's body. Thank God the woman wasn't any more hideous looking than she already was. I was freaked out by the Amp drink ad. I don't want to see a fat guy with alligator clips on his nipples. That does not make me think, "I'm thirsty. Let's get an Amp drink for energy." The SalesGenie commercials...man...those hit a new low for cheap racial stereotypes. Career Builder sucked. I don't want to see a woman's heart pop out their chest or anything similar to that. After these commercials, one must wonder if anyone can make mental bleach to remove the repulsiveness from one's eyes.
The good commercials were OK at best. Fed Ex had the giant pigeon ad which was funny. Bud Light does some good commercials, though they were kind of lacking this year. I liked the caveman one, but only barely. The fire breathing and flying commercials, not so much. And the "Rocky" horse one, they're done so many times before, it's kind of cliche. I've always watned to see Justin Timberlake take a few shots to the groin, but that got tiring and confusing after a while. Pepsi needs to get better advertising people. Their commercials made little sense until the end. Coke was much better. Bridgestone tires allowed a driver to avoid a screaming, panic-stricken squirrel--and later a screaming, panic-stricken Richard Simmons That was funny. Though I kind of wish Richard Simmons got hit. If JT can take it to the nads, RS can get hit by a car.
That's all for now.
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